Page 9 - AsiaElec Week 23 2022

AsiaElec NUCLEAR AsiaElec

Nuclear deal dealt possible death

blow as Iran yanks UN cameras

ASIA ANALYSTS and diplomats were on June 9 won- Zhao Lijian on June 9 called the US “the culprit
dering whether Iran had dealt a death blow to in the Iranian nuclear crisis” and urged America
the nuclear deal talks by removing 27 UN atomic to “respond positively to the legitimate concerns
inspectorate cameras from its main nuclear of the Iranian side”.
development programme facilities. The IAEA chief, Rafael Grossi, said on June
Officials in Tehran described the move as a 9 that the time to conclude a path to reviving
response to Europe and Washington’s move to the JCPOA was running out. “What we have
censure Iran for failing to co-operate with the been informed is that 27 cameras … are being
inspectorate, the International Atomic Energy removed in Iran,” he told journalists, AFP
Agency (IAEA). Iran pointedly also said that it reported. “So this of course poses a serious chal-
had installed additional centrifuges to enrich lenge to our ability to continue working there [at
uranium. There are fears Iran may be only weeks the Iranian nuclear sites].”
away from “breakout”, in other words, produc- Grossi said there was a three to four-week
ing enough highly enriched uranium to make a window for a nuclear deal relaunch agreement
crude nuclear bomb. Weaponising the material to be concluded.
for deployment in a nuclear missile would likely A further 40 monitoring cameras remain
take some additional years, according to most at Iran’s nuclear sites. They have not yet been
experts. switched off.
The IAEA has in the past week stepped up The IAEA has not had access to footage from
its criticism of Iran for not co-operating with its cameras in Iran since February 2021, but there
its monitoring work. It has also been in further is a deal with Tehran that they should keep film-
consultations with Israel, an implacable oppo- ing, with the footage, kept on memory cards, to
nent of the Iranian nuclear programme that has be handed over to IAEA inspectors upon the
threatened military strikes to prevent Iran from sealing of a further agreement.
becoming a nuclear state. Those consultations The US State Department said the Iranian
may have irritated Tehran, as it accuses Israel of move to withdraw surveillance cameras was
sowing disinformation about its nuclear efforts. “extremely regrettable”.
It claims to have no ambition to make a nuclear Israel has even resorted to assassinating Ira-
bomb, but experts have responded that in that nian nuclear scientists in its bid to derail Iran’s
case its push to stockpile highly enriched ura- nuclear programme. It is also believed respon-
nium makes little sense, unless it is simply to sible for a handful of attacks that have damaged
gain leverage over the West in its bid to secure Iranian nuclear facilities. The Israeli air force last
the removal of sanctions. week simulated mass bombing raids in Cyprus.
A large-scale lifting of sanctions would be one Israel did not object to analysts suggesting that
reward for Iran should it agree to curbs on its the raids could be a dress rehearsal for such a raid
nuclear programme in return for the reinstate- aimed at destroying Iranian nuclear facilities.
ment of the 2015 nuclear deal, or JCPOA –aban- Separately, a Greek court on June 9 quashed
doned by former US president Donald Trump in an earlier court ruling permitting Greece to seize
May 2018 – but a few stubborn obstacles to such Iranian oil cargoes after it impounded the Irani-
a JCPOA revival remain. For instance, US Pres- an-flagged Lana tanker in April. Following the
ident Joe Biden has not agreed to Iran’s demand initial ruling, the US, which under sanctions
that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps imposed on Tehran attempts to keep Iranian oil
(IRGC) be taken off Washington’s list of desig- off global markets, in May confiscated some of
nated foreign terrorist organisations (FTOs). the oil cargoes.
The three European signatories to the JCPOA Apparently in response to the fate of the Lana
– known as the E3: France, Germany and the and its oil cargoes, Iran last month seized two
UK – said in a June 9 statement: “Iran’s nuclear Greek tankers in the Persian Gulf.
advances are not only dangerous and illegal, they Asked if the quashing of the initial judicial
risk unravelling the deal that we have so care- decision could open the way for the release by
fully crafted together to restore the nuclear deal. Iran of the two Greek tankers and their crews,
The more Iran is advancing and accumulating Greek government spokesperson Giannis
knowledge with irreversible consequences, the Oikonomou said Greek justice was independent,
more difficult it is to come back to the deal.” Reuters reported.™
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson

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